The present invention relates to an improvement in a hinge device for detachable and openable roof for automobiles.
In the conventional hinge device, the passage of the hinge housing is difficult to process because it has an arcuate form and an extremely small width and because it is necessary to process a hinge tongue to confirm precisely with the arcuate passage. For these reasons, it has been necessary to make the hinge tongue with a sufficient resiliency. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the major surface of the lid flush with the major surface of the roof panel because of insufficient rigidity of the hinge tongue. This poses a problem concerning the attaching precision of the lid, and tends thereby to degrade the commercial value of the product. In addition, the arcuate form of the passage imposes a resistance against the sliding motion and, since it gives some difficulty in aligning the hinge tongue with the entrance of the passage, it is quite troublesome to attach and detach the lid. Furthermore, the hinge tongue is liable to lose its resiliency and impose problems concerning the mechanical strength.